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The Guardian has ranked the greatest handheld games consoles to the Nintendo Switch

delete12345

delete12345

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Nov 17, 2017
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www.theguardian.com

The greatest handheld games consoles – ranked!

During lockdowns, handhelds have come into their own: here’s our Top 20, from Gizmondo to Nintendo
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Here's the top 20 handhelds of all time, along with the year of when the device was released in.

20. Gizmondo (2005)
19. Sega Dreamcast VMU (1998)
18. Tapwave Zodiac (2003)
17. Nokia N-Gage (2003)
16. Genesis Nomad (1995)
15. Game Park GP32 (2001)
14. MB Microvision (1979)
13. Bandai Wonderswan (1999)
12. Atari Lynx (1989)
11. NEC TurboExpress (1990)
10. Neo Geo Pocket Color (1998)
9. Sega Game Gear (1990)
8. Game Boy Color (1998)
7. PlayStation Portable (2004)
6. PlayStation Vita (2011)
5. Game Boy (1989)
4. Game Boy Advance/SP (2001)
3. Nintendo 3DS/2DS (2011)
2. Nintendo DS (2004)
1. Nintendo Switch (2017)

You can read more about the device in The Guardian page. Outrank me if old.
 
Einbroch

Einbroch

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Oct 25, 2017
17,998
Switch is great, but it is in no way the greatest. It may end up that way, but those other handhelds' libraries are insane.
 
Adrifi

Adrifi

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Vita above PSP?

The opinion of the writer of this article has been successfully ignored.

And no, "But Vita plays PSP games too" isn't valid to me.
 
Derachi

Derachi

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Oct 27, 2017
7,699
They put the Wonderswan at a higher position than the Nomad? The Nomad was a portable Genesis, basically the first Switch (maybe it came out after the Turbo Express? Don't actually know)

I love the Wonderswan but outside of Final Fantasy I sure do hope you like Bandai-associated anime licensed games.

The WS Densha De Go was good though.
Drewton said:
Vita is not #1?
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delete12345 said:
It's not. :(
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For what it's worth it was a great piece of hardware but had almost zero first party support, and if you weren't a fan of RPGs or VNs there's not much on there.
 
Dolce

Dolce

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Oct 25, 2017
14,252
Vita above the PSP is suspect. I wouldn't put the Switch at number one. Maybe in 3-4 years I'll feel different.
 
Pankratous

Pankratous

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Oct 26, 2017
9,256
Switch is definitely one of the greatest devices on that list, but it's a home console for me. TV only.

Vita is the best pure handheld. I fucking LOVE the Vita.
 
Aether

Aether

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Jan 6, 2018
4,421
No real issue, just some quirks:
On what basis is the GB above vita/psp, while being under advance?
If its for influence/legacy, it should be up there above 3DS, and maybe even DS (and swithc is only up there because its current and great, but thats okay).
If its for the games... besides of pokemon and links awakening didnt vita and psp have way more to offer? heck, psp could play ps1 games.
 
Porygon

Porygon

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Vita not being first is expected because, come on, you know that releases weren't that good and the portables above it have better catalogue
 
.exe

.exe

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Oct 25, 2017
22,230
PSV and PSP would've been higher up for me. Shame how Sony wasted it all. I don't think I see Switch in that top spot until a revision fixes more issues with the hardware.
 
Jimnymebob

Jimnymebob

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Oct 26, 2017
19,634
Good list, but as someone who prefers made for handheld games as opposed to playing console/PC games on a handheld (even if the latter is more impressive from a technical standpoint), I can't rank Switch as number 1 or even ahead of the other Nintendo handhelds and PSP.
 
ThereAreFourNaan

ThereAreFourNaan

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Nov 8, 2017
13,109
Swap Vita and PSP.

Gameboy OG should probably be #2 or #3 for it's legacy even though I wouldn't want to play one today much.
 
Flashy Wizard

Flashy Wizard

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Nov 19, 2019
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Can't even argue with that list. Switch is a beast. What's really great is I bought one for my daughter but she's migrated and fell in love with the PS5 and now the Switch is mine 😎☺😉🤩
 
wastingmyyouth

wastingmyyouth

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Yo....where's the Game.com? Tiger Electronics got robbed; just like the childhoods of kids who had to suffer them like me.

But seriously, the Switch is my favourite piece of technology in decades. Can't wait to see what's next for Nintendo.
 
Bing147

Bing147

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Jun 13, 2018
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Aether said:
No real issue, just some quirks:
On what basis is the GB above vita/psp, while being under advance?
If its for influence/legacy, it should be up there above 3DS, and maybe even DS (and swithc is only up there because its current and great, but thats okay).
If its for the games... besides of pokemon and links awakening didnt vita and psp have way more to offer? heck, psp could play ps1 games.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The original Game Boy has a ton of great games. It had been out like 8 years before Pokemon came along, lol.
 
E.T.

E.T.

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Oct 25, 2017
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PSP should be above Vita due to library, the Switch is probably one of the greatest handheld but that positioning seems slightly incorrect.
Both the DS and Gameboy Advance have stronger libraries currently.
 
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Deleted member 27751

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I mean, it makes sense to place the Switch at number one with just sheer volume of titles available on it alone. Not to mention the ability to be both portable and home console capable, first party output smashing the competition (respectively of course), third party support being strong (AAA doesn't define healthy third party support) and overall console sales being where they are right now.
 
Moose

Moose

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Gameboy Advance should be ahead of 3DS/2DS.
 
Saiyaman

Saiyaman

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Dec 19, 2017
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Expected Nintendo to sweep and I'm not surprised.

Wouldn't tally the Vita over the PSP though. I wouldn't even put the Vita above the GBC. I'd have the DS over the Switch as well.
 
shoptroll

shoptroll

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Game Boy Color feels lower than it should be but it had a really weird lifespan due to coming a year or two after Pokemon resurrected the GB and 3 years before the GBA launched. So it really never got a lot of time to develop a solid identity of its own. Most of the best games released were just enhanced games that could also run on the classic GB hardware.
 
ZeoVGM

ZeoVGM

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Oct 25, 2017
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Hm, I can't say I would put Switch at #1 at this point. It's certainly up there but I personally wouldn't rank it until the console was done.

I'd also flip 3DS and DS, along with VIta and PSP. PSP's library is miles better than VIta.
 
AmFreak

AmFreak

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Oct 26, 2017
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Can't take anyone seriously that puts the Vita above the PSP and calls it "PS3 in handheld form".
If it only would have been one, it actually might have gotten some games.
 
ZeoVGM

ZeoVGM

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shoptroll said:
Game Boy Color feels lower than it should be but it had a really weird lifespan due to coming a year or two after Pokemon resurrected the GB and 3 years before the GBA launched. So it really never got a lot of time to develop a solid identity of its own. Most of the best games released were just enhanced games that could also run on the classic GB hardware.
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This was basically my thought process. I first thought that it looked too low and that it should definitely be higher than the Sony portables but then I realized that my mind often considers Color to be the same as the original Game Boy.

If it's counted separately, as its own thing, it just doesn't have much of a library other than a couple great games.
 
fiendcode

fiendcode

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Oct 26, 2017
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shoptroll said:
Game Boy Color feels lower than it should be but it had a really weird lifespan due to coming a year or two after Pokemon resurrected the GB and 3 years before the GBA launched. So it really never got a lot of time to develop a solid identity of its own. Most of the best games released were just enhanced games that could also run on the classic GB hardware.
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GBC should just be combined with GB honestly.

Do that, flip Vita and PSP, move Wonderswan up some and it's a solid list.
 
Brutalitops

Brutalitops

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Dec 6, 2017
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Day 1 adopter of the Vita here. It's not even in contention for 1st place.

Personally PSP and Vita should switch positions
 
Hippopuncher12

Hippopuncher12

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Oct 25, 2017
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Vita is the only handheld I have ever liked, I like my Switch a lot but that thing has never left the dock. Just looking at libraries I would put the DS and GBA above it and I didn't even play them.
 
E.T.

E.T.

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Oct 25, 2017
4,035
PSP had an amazing library
Vita had a really good library too

Feel like both have been hard done by on this list.
 
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